Comparative gene expression profiling of ADAMs, MMPs, TIMPs, EMMPRIN, EGF-R and VEGFA in low grade meningioma

MMPs (matrix metalloproteinases), ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase) and TIMPs (tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases) are implicated in invasion and angiogenesis: both are tissue remodeling processes involving regulated proteolysis of the extracellular matrix, growth factors and their receptors. The expression of these three groups and their correlations with clinical behaviour has been reported in gliomas but a similar comprehensive study in meningiomas is lacking. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the patterns of expression of 23 MMPs, 4 TIMPs, 8 ADAMs, selective growth factors and their receptors in 17 benign meningiomas using a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results indicated very high gene expression of 13 proteases, inhibitors and growth factors studied: MMP2 and MMP14, TIMP-1, -2 and -3, ADAM9, 10, 12, 15 and 17, EGF-R, EMMPRIN and VEGF-A, in almost every meningioma. Expression pattern analysis showed several positive correlations between MMPs, ADAMs, TIMPs and growth factors. Furthermore, our findings suggest that expression of MMP14, ADAM9, 10, 12, 15 and 17, TIMP-2, EGF-R and EMMPRIN reflects histological subtype of meningioma such that fibroblastic subtype had the highest mRNA expression, transitional subtype was intermediate and meningothelial type had the lowest expression. In conclusion, this is the first comprehensive study characterizing gene expression of ADAMs in meningiomas. These neoplasms, although by histological definition benign, have invasive potential. Taken together, the selected elevated gene expression pattern may serve to identify targets for therapeutic intervention or indicators of biological progression and recurrence

Language, Religion, and Ethnic Civil War

Are certain ethnic cleavages more conflict-prone than others? While only few scholars focus on the contents of ethnicity, most of those who do argue that political violence is more likely to occur along religious divisions than linguistic ones. We challenge this claim by analyzing the path from linguistic differences to ethnic civil war along three theoretical steps: (1) the perception of grievances by group members, (2) rebel mobilization, and (3) government accommodation of rebel demands. Our argument is tested with a new data set of ethnic cleavages that records multiple linguistic and religious segments for ethnic groups from 1946 to 2009. Adopting a relational perspective, we assess ethnic differences between potential challengers and the politically dominant group in each country. Our findings indicate that intrastate conflict is more likely within linguistic dyads than among religious ones. Moreover, we find no support for the thesis that Muslim groups are particularly conflict-prone

Role of single pulse electrical stimulation (SPES) to guide electrode implantation under general anaesthesia in presurgical assessment of epilepsy

AbstractPurposeSingle-pulse electrical stimulation (SPES) during intracranial recordings is part of the epilepsy presurgical evaluation protocol at King's College Hospital (London). Epileptiform responses correlated to the stimulus (delayed responses – DRs) tend to occur in areas of seizure onset, thereby allowing interictal identification of epileptogenic cortex in patients suffering refractory epilepsy. This preliminary study investigated the validity of SPES in the operating theatre under general anaesthesia (GA) during the implantation procedure, aiming to improve the positioning of intracranial electrodes.MethodsTwelve drug-resistant epilepsy patients implanted with depth and/or subdural electrodes were studied. SPES (1ms pulses, 4–8mA, 0.2Hz) was performed during both intra-operative electrode implantation under GA and chronic intracranial ECoG recordings, and the two recordings were compared in terms of cortical responses produced by stimulation and their electrode location.ResultsIn 8/12 patients, SPES during chronic recordings produced DRs positively correlated to seizure onset and/or early seizure propagation areas. Of those eight patients, four showed DRs during electrode implantation under GA over the same electrode contacts. Among the four patients without DR during GA, three had continuous localized spontaneous epileptiform discharges, which made interpretation of SPES responses unreliable.ConclusionThis study showed that, under GA, DRs can be reliably replicated, without false positive epileptiform responses to SPES, although the method's sensitivity is greatly reduced by spontaneous discharges.Results support SPES as a complementary technique that can be used to improve electrode placement during epilepsy surgery when no profound interictal activity is present

Cross-frequency coupling within and between the human thalamus and neocortex

There is currently growing interest in, and increasing evidence for, cross-frequency interactions between electrical field oscillations in the brains of various organisms. A number of theories have linked such interactions to crucial features of neuronal function and cognition. In mammals, these interactions have mostly been reported in the neocortex and hippocampus, and it remains unexplored whether similar patterns of activity occur in the thalamus, and between the thalamus and neocortex. Here we use data recorded from patients undergoing thalamic deep-brain stimulation for epilepsy to demonstrate the existence and prevalence, across a range of frequencies, of both phase-amplitude (PAC) and amplitude-amplitude coupling (AAC) both within the thalamus and prefrontal cortex (PFC), and between them. These cross-frequency interactions may play an important role in local processing within the thalamus and neocortex, as well as information transfer between them

Short-lasting retroorbital pain attacks as a form of ictal epileptic headache: case report

© International Headache Society 2019Background and objectives: Ictal epileptic headache is a rare form of painful seizure, habitually consisting of migrainous or tension-type headache. We describe a case of a patient with short-lasting, severe retroorbital pain attacks caused by frontal lobe epilepsy. Case report: A 25-year-old male patient presented with recurrent attacks of paroxysmal, short-lasting, excruciating left periorbital and facial pain mainly occurring from sleep. After intracranial EEG exploration and resection of a right prefrontal focal cortical dysplasia, long-term seizure and headache remission was obtained. Discussion: Our case extends the clinical and neuroanatomical spectrum of ictal epileptic headache and suggests that long-term remission can be obtained by resective epilepsy surgery. It also reinforces the role of the prefrontal cortex in the pain matrix and pain generation. Conclusion: Despite its rarity, ictal epileptic headache should be suspected in selected patients, particularly those with other ictal symptoms and signs, history of epileptic seizures, or neuroimaging abnormalities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio